Profiting from Pamplona - Updated: Tour companies asked to stop making money from the cruelty of the Pamplona Bull Run

An online investigation1 by the League Against Cruel Sports, has found several tour companies continuing to prioritise profit over animal welfare by promoting Spain’s San Fermin Running of the Bulls Festival.

The animal welfare charity contacted ten companies, which include TripAdvisor, Airbnb and EasyJet, ahead of this year’s event in Pamplona, urging them to immediately cease all direct and indirect promotion of the Festival’s cruel activities. At the time of writing, Airbnb, GetYourGuide and KAYAK have already responded and removed all Pamplona bull running material from their sites, and TripAdvisor have opened an investigation into the findings reported to them.

UPDATE – 20th July, 2017: We are pleased to report that EasyJet has now responded to our request and ceased any promotion of the Pamplona Running of the Bulls Festival on its website. Thank you EasyJet!

UPDATE – 18th September, 2017: We are pleased to report that TripAdvisor has now concluded its investigation and has removed Running of The Bulls Travel from its website along with their associated tours to Pamplona bull running events. Thank you TripAdvisor!

The League is now calling on all remaining companies found to be promoting the Pamplona Bull Run during their investigation (The Backpacker Tour Company, Festival Adventures, PP Travel, First Festival and Stoke Travel), to respond to the request and cease any promotion of the Festival immediately.

The annual event, which begins tomorrow, will see numerous bulls beaten, abused and slaughtered during the festival’s daily bull runs and bullfights. The bull running involves six bulls being chased through the city’s streets every morning, where they are repeatedly hit and taunted by jeering crowds. The bulls are then forced into a holding pen, where stressed and disorientated, they await their deaths at the evening bullfights.

Eduardo Gonçalves, CEO for the League Against Cruel Sports said:“It is time travel companies stopped marketing the Bull Running Festival and its appalling animal cruelty.

“While we are very pleased with the swift action taken by some companies already, we would urge all tour operators to prioritise animal welfare over their profits and make a lasting commitment to end the promotion of this hideous activity once and for all.

The charity’s investigations ahead of this year’s nine-day event have revealed companies adopting a variety of tactics in order to profit from the Pamplona Festival. These include asking travellers if they are ‘Going to Running of the Bulls’, alongside listings for local accommodation on their websites, specifically selling tours to the Running of the Bulls festival, which they describe as ‘the biggest adrenaline rush’ and ‘the wildest, most emotive and fun fiesta in Europe’, and one company, that previously removed all references to bullfighting from its websites, still continuing to advise travellers, saying ‘take your chance to run with the bulls,’ on its ‘Things to Do in Pamplona’ web page.

English actress and anti-bullfighting campaigner, Gemma Atkinson, said:“It sickens me that festivals involving the torture and killing of animals, such as the Pamplona Bull Run, are still being promoted as acceptable tourist attractions.

“How disappointing too, that companies that previously dropped mentions of bullfighting from their websites, have started indirect promotion of the events again.

“Contrary to what is often portrayed in the media, there is absolutely nothing macho or brave about abusing and killing animals.”

The evening bullfights that form part of the Bull Running Festival, involve the senseless abuse, attack and slaughter of bulls. Bullfighters on foot and on horseback, wave capes to taunt the animals and repeatedly stab the confused bulls in the neck and back with lances, barbed sticks and swords. When a bull finally collapses after having a long sword penetrate his body, his spinal cord may be cut – but the animal may still be conscious if someone decides to cut off its ears and tail to give to the matador as ‘trophies’.

- ENDS -

For more information or interview requests please contact the League Against Cruel Sports Press Office on 01483 524250 (24hrs) or email [email protected].

Notes to Editors

During an online web search, conducted between 11/06/2017 and 30/06/2017, all the named companies’ websites contained a variety of references to the Pamplona Bull Running Festival.

The League has previously been successful in persuading large global organisations to drop their sponsorship or promotions of bullfighting, including: Ryanair, Ben & Jerry’s and British Airways and were delighted that such companies acted on compassion. STA Travel, Topdeck Travel, Thomas Cook and Brittany Ferries are among other operators that have ceased promoting the Pamplona festival.

The League Against Cruel Sports is Britain's leading charity that works to stop animals being persecuted, abused and killed for sport. The League was instrumental in helping bring about the landmark Hunting Act. We carry out investigations to expose law-breaking and cruelty to animals and campaign for stronger animal protection laws and penalties. We work to change attitudes and behaviour through education and manage sanctuaries to protect wildlife. Find out more about our work at www.league.org.uk. Registered charity in England and Wales (no.1095234) and Scotland (no.SC045533).

A call for the National Trust to stop allowing hunts on its land, amid concerns that animals are still being chased and killed under the guide of 'trail' hunting, will be heard at more than 20 sites nationwide.

Most read

As a team, we share the same passion – to stop animal cruelty in the name of sport. We are a tight knit team and we work hard within a fun, relaxed environment. We also offer something many employers don’t – an office full of friendly dogs!

Hunting was banned in England and Wales in 2004, but the law has never been properly enforced, and attempts to weaken or repeal it continue. The hunting law in Scotland is weak, and hunting is still legal in Northern Ireland.

Hurting and killing animals for ‘sport’ is one of the principal causes of animal cruelty in the UK: tens of millions suffer and die each year for ‘leisure’ activities. We’re here to protect those animals.

The Hunting Act 2004 is the law which bans chasing wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales – this basically means that fox hunting, deer hunting, hare hunting, hare coursing and mink hunting are all illegal, as they all are cruel sports based on dogs chasing wild mammals.

Bullfighting is perhaps the most well known spectator “sport” involving the killing of animals for entertainment. It has already been banned in most countries, but each year tens of thousands of bulls are maimed, tortured and killed for entertainment in Spain, Portugal, France, Colombia, Mexico, USA, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru.

The hidden side of greyhound racing includes dogs kept for long periods in lonely kennels, painful injuries from racing and training, illness and neglect. Shockingly, thousands of surplus dogs die or disappear every year. The League believes dogs should not suffer or die for entertainment or for the profit of the dog racing industry.